


Second star to the right and straight on ‘til morning

by wagamiller



Category: New Girl
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-23
Updated: 2013-05-23
Packaged: 2017-12-12 17:59:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/814387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wagamiller/pseuds/wagamiller
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The thing is, they can't go home.</p>
<p>(Post-finale fic)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Second star to the right and straight on ‘til morning

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted to [Tumblr](http://www.wagawriter.tumblr.com), where the rest of my stuff for this fandom currently lives. I'll be moving most of it over as and when I get a min, but I figured I'd start with the most recent. 
> 
> Plotless Nick and Jess on the road, because I couldn't resist.

\------

The thing is, they can’t go home. 

There’s an air mattress sized reason for this, though neither of them mentions it. Instead, they just start driving in the opposite direction to home, without discussion.

Well, that’s not quite right. 

They don’t have a clue where they’re going, but it turns out Jess has some pretty strong ideas about which way  _not_ to go. Nick thinks that’s kind of ridiculous, given that they’ve not actually agreed a destination beyond the unspoken agreement not to go home. So there’s that debate.

Then there’s what music to listen to ( _if you get that CD out, you’re in trouble, Miller. I operate an inclusive musical environment here, but I draw the line at Rednex)_ and where to stop for food  _(Jess, you know I don’t trust Drive Thru. It’s a scam)._

All in all, it’s actually a pretty chatty drive.

They compromise on the food in the end, parking up and going inside to order before taking it back out to the car. 

Jess complains that he’s being unreasonable _(for the last time, you definitely get the same food at the same price in the Drive Thru)_  but she lets him slide his arm around her waist while they’re in line so he figures she’s not really that mad. He strokes his thumb back and forth over the bare skin at the small of her back, just because that’s the kind of thing he’s allowed to do now.  

When they get back to her car, she takes the sole set of fries for herself ( _I can’t be expected to order the right amount when your damn hands are doing that)_.

Nick just laughs, then promptly chokes on his drink when he entertains the fleeting thought that he wouldn’t mind her stealing his fries for the rest of time. She has to thump him on the back until he can breathe again (which he wouldn’t mind her being the one to do for the rest of time and oh god, there he goes again).

When they’re done, he pauses the car at the parking lot exit and sweeps a hand across the open road in front of them, silently asking the question they’ve been avoiding. 

Her reply is typically enigmatic. ( _Take me to the ocean, Nicholas)_

And yeah, he’s definitely in trouble because not only does he recognise her 1930s screen siren voice from her extensive repertoire, but damn it, it’s really working for him. 

He holds onto the last modicum of his self control for, y’know, steering and remembering to indicate and crap like that. But other than that, he’s a goner. He wants her, right now, this crazy, ridiculous girl telling him in her throaty voice that she heard he’s the guy to talk to about getting her own star on the Boulevard. 

He wants her so much his leg starts shaking at every red light, just trying to get some of this nervous energy out. She puts her hand on his knee to still the motion and he just lets out a shaky breath because that is  _not_ helping.

All the while he’s thinking he can’t believe, literally cannot believe he almost threw this all away. And it’s completely crazy, because never in his life has Nick Miller thought of himself as a lucky guy. But he is tonight. She made him lucky tonight. And lucky feels a lot like happy, so he figures he might just be both right now.

She asks him why he’s laughing at the windscreen and he grins at her ( _I’m really glad we uncalled it, Jess)._  

As they park up in an empty lot facing the beach, there’s this moment where the conversation dies right as the engine does and just at the moment of quiet between songs.  There’s a tiny beat of silence, broken by the rustle of silk against the seats as Jess shifts to face him.  

She looks across at him and what finally snaps the last of his restraint isn’t the colour in her cheeks or the way she’s biting her lip (although,  _Jesus_ ), it’s the spark of amusement in her eyes that says  _this is gonna be fun._

He dives across the space between them and she meets him halfway, crashing their mouths together. He reaches an arm across to cradle her head and when she whimpers against his lips he thinks this is just about the hottest moment of his life. 

It stays that way for about a minute. 

Then it’s basically just a logistical nightmare. She tries to climb over onto his lap but the skirt on her Sari is tight, right to her ankles, and the manoeuvre doesn’t really come off. She ends up pretty much where she started, wrapped in her own outfit. He reaches for her arm, trying to help her over and it’s all going quite well until the sound of stitches pulling at a hem makes her freeze ( _Apricots! Apricots! This is rented! Expensive and rented!)._

By the time he tries to unwrap the damn thing himself and ends up with a dress pin in his thumb, they’ve crossed the line into farce, and a rapidly escalating one at that. 

He wants to be angry, it’s his default setting after all, but Jess is laughing now, somehow stuck halfway over the gap between their seats, bracing her head against the top of his arm and really, really laughing. The rumble in his chest takes him by surprise and then he is laughing with her, because fuck it, the whole thing is kind of hilarious.

She’s still laughing when he swings the car out of the lot and back onto the road. It’s sweeter than the stereo so he flicks that off and listens to her breathing beside him as he floors the gas. 

And though it’s late, and there’s nothing but darkness on the horizon, he could swear it feels a lot like driving off into the sunset.

 


End file.
